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Evelyn Lozada Talks Abuse, Moving Forward

Evelyn's sparkling Herve Leger dress and smile belie the darkness she's faced in her life. In the interview, Evelyn gets candid about the physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson, last year. Read excerpts below:

On her feelings after the violent abuse of her ex-husband during an argument:

“At that point, I knew my life would never be the same. I knew the world was going to laugh at me and be mean and nasty and blame me for everything. But I had no choice. I had to go to the hospital.”.On why she plans to start a foundation dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence called Pain Is Not Love:

"I get e-mails every single day from women who are still with their abusive partner and they’re like, 'I need help.'"

On trying to reform her life with the help of life coach Tony Gaskins, Jr. and being re-baptized:

"Tony was talking to me about soul ties, and I felt like I needed to cut that cord [with Johnson]. I wanted to do things differently, to start over. I’m still going to be Evelyn, but I have a different vision of my life."

Sources close to Evelyn tell toofab exclusively that Evelyn has been in therapy with Tony Gaskins since the actual incident took place. She absolutely adores him and her newfound inner peace. Iyanla Vanzant is still her accountability partner. The sources add that Evelyn will always treasure what Iyanla did for her because she has finally found her purpose.

To read more of Evelyn's interview, where she discusses her behavior on "Basketball Wives," click here or pick up the latest issue of Latina magazine on newsstands and Nook July 9th. More photos of the reality star can be seen in the gallery below!